The Blood Drinker gritted his teeth, his entire body throbbed with pain, and the worst part was that he was still weakened from the battle with the Monarch. And now, once more the same Monarch had shown up to stop him from reaping his rewards. His mana was drained from casting the same skill over and over again, turns out — much like the Monarch lunatic, the little maggot also had resistance to mental ailments.
All his plans for decades had been ruined in about a week. A week. He hated the sounds of it. The God of Biology, the Blood Drinker, the Discoverer of Origin, all his titles and achievements flashed through his eyes. His numerous impressive Feats from massacring multiple planets, from reaping all the lives of a world in a single hour. The first to see Desolate Space and survive it. He was the Vessel of Corruption!
“All I hear in your thoughts are excuses.” The Monarch’s voice echoed within the air. The interloper, the dryad, the corrupted one. “Nothing but delusions, are you sure you don’t want to live an illusion?”
He snorted as he manipulated his blood. His very being boiled as his coat opened. In an instant, he exploded into a mass of black spikes piercing in all directions at the same time in a radius of dozens of meters. Each spike, able to instantly kill any being of B-Grade or lower, and yet, nothing happened.
There was a finger snap, and his entire vision became black. He found himself standing within a dark room, the light on the ceiling swung tantalizingly as explosions shook the bunker occasionally with falling dust. He heard footsteps around him, and he tried to struggle but he was tied to a metal chair. His eyes snapped to his side as he saw a tall man with a black leather outfit and a long hat. His body wiggled, a muscular young one as his hair hung low.
“Tell me. What made you so weak?”
The Blood Drinker remembered this. It was a tortured memory that he wished to forget. He was— he was— Yes, he was imprisoned, he had been working in secret away from the Empire of Luair, where it was his duty to serve. He was just a soldier. His mind rushed and before he knew it the figure slammed onto his hand. He felt his hand snap within an instant, broken bones as a rod cleaved through its top.
“You’ve been conceited haven’t you? You are afraid to take risks.” The man pacing around him commented before finally standing before him. “All of you should be ashamed to call yourself Monarchs.”
The Blood Drinker’s eyes widened as he looked up to the man. He finally remembered. His body grew old in an instant and he remembered.
“Yo— You’re the dryad?!”
The man simply looked at him, his face was nothing but a black void. “You’re too weak.” The man stood in front. “Salair, you are too weak.”
His mind buzzed with corruption and as he was about to speak up, flare his mana, use his essence. The man in front of him kicked hard. He felt his bones break as he threw up blood onto his helmet, the chair tumbled back and when he opened his eyes he was free falling. The sky was burning, flames as tall as mountains sprouted in the background. Around him was nothing but ash as the expanding forests had melted in an instant, his body was searing with pain as the flames of hell engulfed everything.
A failed planetary coalescence. A failed ascension of grades for the planet.
The horizon thumped, his vision shook as danger engulfed his very being. The pores in his body tensed, it felt as if his skin was being constantly prickled along with the searing pain he felt. His heart raced as he heard echoes with each thump. And then he remembered.
His home planet had failed ascension.
The horizon quaked. His memories brushed through but drew a blank. Who was he? Right, he had just become the king and tried to forcefully ascend the planet, and that’s when everything went wrong. That’s when the two planets collided, that’s when the sky lit itself ablaze, and that’s when everyone died. That’s when he became responsible for being the Great Exterminator, where he drank the blood of his people and became the Blood Drinker. He was at the peak, and yet at that moment all he could do was watch as a pair of iridescent yellow eyes opened on the horizon.
They were bigger than moons, piercing and just looking at them sent shivers through his spine. When a planet failed ascension, it would be teleported into the Desolate Space. And then they looked at him.
“A Grade? A Monarch.” The flames raged and finally, illuminated the being staring. It was akin to a gigantic snout, rugged with porous ashen skin. A monster of impossibly large proportions. He could feel its gaze penetrating deep into him. “You are too weak though. Perhaps, if I consume you, I might be able to detach myself from this place and roam free once more. Unless, you want to make a contract. In that case, I will let you leave.”
The burning pain within his body multiplied. “Contract?”
“Become mine, Pup.” It said without pause. “The stretches of The System are much scarier than you think. But under my command, perhaps you might break its shackles. You are, after all, weak.”
Just as he was about to agree the scene shifted as he stared at himself on a small body of water. The sky was black and his surroundings charred. His body was malformed with dripping blood, wounds that would never close, and yet on his heart he could feel a sting, a bind that reminded him what kind of slave he was. He got closer to the water, so many life choices gone wrong, so many innocent lives lost. His reflection stared back, and— reached. A hand grabbed him from the neck and pulled him into the water.
Everything went black as he floated deep within an ocean.
“You’ve lost everything.” A voice echoed.
He tried to refute, he was still alive! However, the voice continued.
“Your dignity, your being, the thing that makes you. Your name. All for measly strength.”
No… that wasn’t… true…
“I will show you, true power.” The currents whirred. “The power of what lies beyond.” The ocean became nothing but the black expanse of space, but he still felt trapped under thick water. He could barely twitch, let alone move.
A planet emerged, it was unlike anything he had seen. One of whirring maelstroms of dark clouds and nebulous fluctuations of purple thunder. However, it’s size was many times bigger than most planets. Clearly a grade above anything he had seen before— no, he had heard of such super planets before. It was how it had been shattered and swallowed by The System. It was an A Grade planet, a Supreme World. One capable of handling all of the species in the universe regardless of Grade, a near perfect planet.
“This is power.”
The Blood Drinker blinked, and he saw destruction. A hand came from the darkness, a gigantic one of stone and pressed— Like an egg being cracked, the planet exploded into puddles of magma and molten rock. In an instant, it was gone. Numerous thoughts floated amidst the Blood Drinker’s mind, what kind of thing—
His mind whirred and it finally clicked on him.
The pinnacle of power. S-Grade.
* * * * *
Elasia blinked, staring at The Blood Drinker. He was twisting and recoiling with screams of sorrow, his body wriggled on the ground as he seemed to be having revelations. She didn’t necessarily understand it, she had just showed him a calamity from long ago, and somehow he thought that was S-Grade. Maybe it was the fact that she spent most of her time in a different Region where there was no government, and simply death. Very few individuals owned more than one planet there, and those that could had undoubtedly had great strength.
She thought that the Blood Drinker, if lucky, could own a B-Grade planet there, or maybe two D-Grade planets. Due to its place in the universe, at the very center where all the rifts converged, due to its instability and number of exploded battles of molten magma it was commonly referred to as: The Crucible. A group of star clusters that saw nothing but death. Another name for that place was the Desolate Region, those that crossed to that place would only leave once attaining Monarch rank.
Compared to this place that was at the far stretches of the limits of the universe, which granted— also meant that the Desolate Space was also nearby— it also meant that it was the equivalent of a backwater region. Elasia had heard so much about the Legacy of Brilliance that she had just taken all their beatings lying down. They knew she wasn’t to be trusted, however, the disrespect she had to tolerate for all the years, all when she could’ve just done, this.
She looked at the Blood Drinker with disgust as he convulsed. The strongest Monarch in their Star Cluster, and probably among the strongest in the Region. She was no Champion, no great Hero of the universe, she was just someone who had long reached their goal and ended their journey. But that didn’t mean that her legend was to be disrespected. She was the last of her kind just like Lumina.
She deserved respect did she not? Her anger flared as she realized the implications of everything. Monarchs, figures of respect.
What happened if they were displeased?
What happened when they were disrespected?
What happened when they looked down on them?
The answer was simple.
Death.
The rifts had closed, there was no way out of this Super Star Cluster. Her frown curled into a maniacal smile. Maybe, it was time to achieve her dream for good, instead of an island, maybe it was time to take an entire Super Star Cluster. She let go of a chuckle, but then the Blood Drinker began to mutter under his breath. Her ears twitched clearly hearing, and that’s when she realized— She might’ve been underestimating him just a little bit.
“[Blood Reaping Desolation!]”
The entire world went red, and for the first time in her battle with the Blood Drinker, she felt pain. Her heart exploded as she sputtered a mouthful of blood. Elasia cursed as she felt one of her emergency skills kick in, her blood and mana rerouted. The entire world became nothing but a red space and everything was drained of color.
“I should’ve just killed his ass once more.”
* * * * *
The artificial heart was very complicated. It had multiple arteries and veins made out of wood, hollow spaces for blood to go through. I failed to understand how it could even beat, since it was akin to a carved figure rather than anything. I started with making the septum walls and the two ventricles, then weaved each thing slowly following the diagram. It was like a tangled mess of branches, one that took who knows how long. But eventually, slowly weaving the wood together, I produced the artificial heart— multiple ones.
It was a slow and tedious process, but as I grew more used to it they became smoother and more refined, until eventually I felt like my instincts told me I had made it just right. It looked like a thing of wood, smooth and without bark, it was a dark brown color with veins running through it. Admittedly it wasn’t very trustworthy but as I looked at Lumina’s peaceful expression I simply carried on.
I referenced the book multiple times and finally reached the step of placing the second material into it. The Blight. I produced it from within my ring, it felt almost mushy. I stared at the heart for a bit and referenced the instructions. To fill the left chamber, I supposed it meant the left ventricle. I stared at the protruding connections atop of the object and made sure it was facing me. Then slowly following the diagram, I introduced the Blight into the right arteries, I kept putting Blight Wood into it until it couldn’t go into it any longer. It took a while, and I felt like I had put in too much, but I simply filled it until the holes were plugged.
I felt a bit silly. I was just holding a jumble of wood that took me probably close to an hour to make. And for a brief moment, I felt the wood soften within my hand, the feeling continued until it felt just like flesh.
[Ỳ̷̮o̸̹͛ư̵̟ ̴̭̈́h̷̒ͅâ̴̖v̵̯́ë̵͎ ̴̪̽m̸͖̓a̵̫͝d̵̪͠ȅ̵̬ ̷̲͝a̷̺̿ṋ̶͒ ̴̮͊Á̸̢r̶̤̀t̴͈̾i̵̙̍f̸̥̏î̸̤c̴̠̈́į̴̾a̸͘ͅl̴̬̓ ̴͖̂H̶̫̋e̶͉̚a̵͓̒r̸͙͑t̶̡́ — Next step: R̷̦̃é̴͖v̸̤̀i̸̠͘v̵̢̓ë̴̢́ ̷͔͌t̶̘̿h̸̨͒e̶̫̽ ̵̡͠O̸͓͝l̶͙̚d̴̛͚ ̸̬̏T̶̖̓e̷͉͝r̴̢̔r̶̖͝o̸̦͗r̸̻̓]
[You have completed the third step of a quest — Lumina’s Will (Mythical); Use the research within the Great Encyclopedia to make an Artificial Heart — Next step: Revival. Revive Lumina the Rotten, the Old Terror, the Dark Calamity.]
My mind paused as I felt the fleshy object within my hand. I had made the Artificial Heart? Just like that? My heart throbbed in excitement as I looked towards Lumina’s peaceful resting spot. I stared for a moment before turning to the book. Referencing the steps.
Shove the heart inside my chest cavity and shock my entire body with mana. Your mana will destabilize and become mine, hold your hand there and share some of your vitality. Make sure to consume plenty of health potions before starting this process.
Successor, you might seriously die from this. But if you do achieve my revival, my gratitude shall be eternal.
That was sort of what it said. I popped all of the beads within my mouth as the warmth spread over my body. But that wasn’t enough, I opened my status and distributed all of my free points into Vigor.
Name: Blair | Level: 94
Race: (Elf)??? (D-Grade)
Grand Feat: The Realm Breaker
Feats: [Lone Survivor], [Bottomless Ambition], [Champion Of Champions], [Champion Of Illusion], [Pest Control], [DeathShot], [Five of a Kind], [Pacifist of the New World], [Evolutionary Herald], [Bane of the Elite Monsters], [Bringer of Civilization], [Untamed One], [First Leader]
Prophecy: Scarlet Shift (C-Grade)
Basic skills: Universal Understanding (NaN), Universal Inquiry (NaN)
Free attribute points: 0
VIG: 266 | END: 70 |
STR: 68 | AGI: 100 |
PER: 274 | WIS: 378 |
Skills: [Proficient Archery (Uncommon Passive)], [Explosive Shot (Rare)], [Power Draw (Uncommon)], [Penumbral Instinct (Rare Passive)], [Frictionless Slide (Rare Passive)], [Burrowing Shot (Rare)], [Flashbang (Rare)], [Mana Manipulation (Epic Passive)], [Three-Marked (Rare Passive)], [Frenzy (Rare)], [Enhancement Mimicry (Epic)]. [Dynamic Mana (Epic Passive)]
Prophecy Skills: [Seed Manipulation (Rare Passive)], [All Dark (Uncommon Passive)], [Friend of the Dark Plants (Rare Passive)], [Blooming Combustion (Epic)], [Plant Mutation (Epic)]
Attunements: Dark plants (III)
Prime Currency: 5,250
I took a deep breath as I approached Lumina. I might die. But at the same time, I was strong, I had come a long way. I could do this. With that in mind I pushed my hand into Lumina’s chest cavity, it almost felt dry and mushy, it was a disgusting feeling as I felt it wriggle around. And then, with all of my mana I urged it towards my hand— my entire arm lit up in a bright green light that inundated Lumina’s body.
There was no reaction, but I felt the heart move absorb my mana. It trembled as it took more and more, the Royal Azalea nectar doing its best to regenerate my being. I felt nearly all of my mana be absorbed as I threw up some blood and grew dizzy, but thankfully it stopped before it took everything. I took a deep breath, but then—
A shock ran through my being, I felt my hand be sucked, almost as if pinched. I felt my entire being be sucked off of energy.
Vitality. I had no choice as it began to drain me of my Vigor.
My body grew numb by the second and yet Lumina was unmoving. My heart began to beat faster and faster as I remembered what Elasia had said. To call her name—
“[Blood Reaping Desolation!]”
A booming voice resonated within my ears, and my entire view grew crimson. At that moment, my mind spaced out as I simply shouted with the rest of my strength.
“ELASIA!”
In an instant, a bright flash appeared next to me. It was Elasia but she was clutching onto her chest and her mouth wouldn’t stop bleeding. Her chest was heaving up and down as she stared at me with her golden eyes and deranged hair. Her appearance, her veil was gone, all I saw was Elasia, the Monarch, someone who had lived hundreds of years to attain power.
“Blair…” She weakly called. “I cannot spare mana unfortunately, is there something else you need help with?”
I felt my legs nearly give way as the drain got higher.
“Vitality, for Lumina’s heart…” I muttered.
Elasia nearly limped next to me and touched upon my hand. In an instant I felt myself regenerate, and Elasia showed no signs of changing either. Seconds passed as a voice echoed in the background.
“Interlopers! Revenge is here!”
Elasia held her gaze on Lumina, as I turned to her.
“Should I—
“No, focus.” Elasia hissed.
I closed my eyes and focused on my draining vitality, trying to make it go faster. It was an odd feeling, and it almost felt like mana, but it was akin to just my imagination rather than anything else. I imagined a river dam bursting, giving way to more water. I felt the vitality drain increase as Elasia finally flinched. Seconds of susurrating silence passed as the entire world was nothing but red. I could fear the danger rapidly rising and Elasia seemed to do so too.
I saw a flash of red, like a wave that flew ust overhead. And in an instant the top half of the building was sliced off. Elasia simply grunted and the rubble disappeared. I looked for a brief moment towards the danger as I saw the Blood Drinker limping towards us.
“INTERLOPERS…” He growled as the world grew red, but a notification denied its mental effects.
I grew nervous as I looked at Elasia, but she was simply looking at Lumina. I focused more on the feeling of vitality as I too turned.
I could feel the rapidly approaching footsteps of the Blood Drinker as he finally set foot before us.
“Given up—”
Her eyes opened, full of crimson radiance, the bloody aura around us vanished. The entire forest rattled, laughing as if their ruler had just returned. Even the ground— the now dead World Tree trembled as her eyes fully opened. Her gaze met mine.
“Thank you for reviving me, Blair.” Lumina said with a calm voice.
[Grand Feat Achieved — Herald of the Dark Calamity.]
Azrie
You can read the entirety of book 2 (up to chapter 180) on patreon!
I also opened a ko-fi, where you can read from chapter 137 onwards!
Blair now has a discord server, join here
The Blood Drinker gritted his teeth, his entire body throbbed with pain, and the worst part was that he was still weakened from the battle with the Monarch. And now, once more the same Monarch had shown up to stop him from reaping his rewards. His mana was drained from casting the same skill over and over again, turns out — much like the Monarch lunatic, the little maggot also had resistance to mental ailments.
All his plans for decades had been ruined in about a week. A week. He hated the sounds of it. The God of Biology, the Blood Drinker, the Discoverer of Origin, all his titles and achievements flashed through his eyes. His numerous impressive Feats from massacring multiple planets, from reaping all the lives of a world in a single hour. The first to see Desolate Space and survive it. He was the Vessel of Corruption!
“All I hear in your thoughts are excuses.” The Monarch’s voice echoed within the air. The interloper, the dryad, the corrupted one. “Nothing but delusions, are you sure you don’t want to live an illusion?”
He snorted as he manipulated his blood. His very being boiled as his coat opened. In an instant, he exploded into a mass of black spikes piercing in all directions at the same time in a radius of dozens of meters. Each spike, able to instantly kill any being of B-Grade or lower, and yet, nothing happened.
There was a finger snap, and his entire vision became black. He found himself standing within a dark room, the light on the ceiling swung tantalizingly as explosions shook the bunker occasionally with falling dust. He heard footsteps around him, and he tried to struggle but he was tied to a metal chair. His eyes snapped to his side as he saw a tall man with a black leather outfit and a long hat. His body wiggled, a muscular young one as his hair hung low.
“Tell me. What made you so weak?”
The Blood Drinker remembered this. It was a tortured memory that he wished to forget. He was— he was— Yes, he was imprisoned, he had been working in secret away from the Empire of Luair, where it was his duty to serve. He was just a soldier. His mind rushed and before he knew it the figure slammed onto his hand. He felt his hand snap within an instant, broken bones as a rod cleaved through its top.
“You’ve been conceited haven’t you? You are afraid to take risks.” The man pacing around him commented before finally standing before him. “All of you should be ashamed to call yourself Monarchs.”
The Blood Drinker’s eyes widened as he looked up to the man. He finally remembered. His body grew old in an instant and he remembered.
“Yo— You’re the dryad?!”
The man simply looked at him, his face was nothing but a black void. “You’re too weak.” The man stood in front. “Salair, you are too weak.”
His mind buzzed with corruption and as he was about to speak up, flare his mana, use his essence. The man in front of him kicked hard. He felt his bones break as he threw up blood onto his helmet, the chair tumbled back and when he opened his eyes he was free falling. The sky was burning, flames as tall as mountains sprouted in the background. Around him was nothing but ash as the expanding forests had melted in an instant, his body was searing with pain as the flames of hell engulfed everything.
A failed planetary coalescence. A failed ascension of grades for the planet.
The horizon thumped, his vision shook as danger engulfed his very being. The pores in his body tensed, it felt as if his skin was being constantly prickled along with the searing pain he felt. His heart raced as he heard echoes with each thump. And then he remembered.
His home planet had failed ascension.
The horizon quaked. His memories brushed through but drew a blank. Who was he? Right, he had just become the king and tried to forcefully ascend the planet, and that’s when everything went wrong. That’s when the two planets collided, that’s when the sky lit itself ablaze, and that’s when everyone died. That’s when he became responsible for being the Great Exterminator, where he drank the blood of his people and became the Blood Drinker. He was at the peak, and yet at that moment all he could do was watch as a pair of iridescent yellow eyes opened on the horizon.
They were bigger than moons, piercing and just looking at them sent shivers through his spine. When a planet failed ascension, it would be teleported into the Desolate Space. And then they looked at him.
“A Grade? A Monarch.” The flames raged and finally, illuminated the being staring. It was akin to a gigantic snout, rugged with porous ashen skin. A monster of impossibly large proportions. He could feel its gaze penetrating deep into him. “You are too weak though. Perhaps, if I consume you, I might be able to detach myself from this place and roam free once more. Unless, you want to make a contract. In that case, I will let you leave.”
The burning pain within his body multiplied. “Contract?”
“Become mine, Pup.” It said without pause. “The stretches of The System are much scarier than you think. But under my command, perhaps you might break its shackles. You are, after all, weak.”
Just as he was about to agree the scene shifted as he stared at himself on a small body of water. The sky was black and his surroundings charred. His body was malformed with dripping blood, wounds that would never close, and yet on his heart he could feel a sting, a bind that reminded him what kind of slave he was. He got closer to the water, so many life choices gone wrong, so many innocent lives lost. His reflection stared back, and— reached. A hand grabbed him from the neck and pulled him into the water.
Everything went black as he floated deep within an ocean.
“You’ve lost everything.” A voice echoed.
He tried to refute, he was still alive! However, the voice continued.
“Your dignity, your being, the thing that makes you. Your name. All for measly strength.”
No… that wasn’t… true…
“I will show you, true power.” The currents whirred. “The power of what lies beyond.” The ocean became nothing but the black expanse of space, but he still felt trapped under thick water. He could barely twitch, let alone move.
A planet emerged, it was unlike anything he had seen. One of whirring maelstroms of dark clouds and nebulous fluctuations of purple thunder. However, it’s size was many times bigger than most planets. Clearly a grade above anything he had seen before— no, he had heard of such super planets before. It was how it had been shattered and swallowed by The System. It was an A Grade planet, a Supreme World. One capable of handling all of the species in the universe regardless of Grade, a near perfect planet.
“This is power.”
The Blood Drinker blinked, and he saw destruction. A hand came from the darkness, a gigantic one of stone and pressed— Like an egg being cracked, the planet exploded into puddles of magma and molten rock. In an instant, it was gone. Numerous thoughts floated amidst the Blood Drinker’s mind, what kind of thing—
His mind whirred and it finally clicked on him.
The pinnacle of power. S-Grade.
* * * * *
Elasia blinked, staring at The Blood Drinker. He was twisting and recoiling with screams of sorrow, his body wriggled on the ground as he seemed to be having revelations. She didn’t necessarily understand it, she had just showed him a calamity from long ago, and somehow he thought that was S-Grade. Maybe it was the fact that she spent most of her time in a different Region where there was no government, and simply death. Very few individuals owned more than one planet there, and those that could had undoubtedly had great strength.
She thought that the Blood Drinker, if lucky, could own a B-Grade planet there, or maybe two D-Grade planets. Due to its place in the universe, at the very center where all the rifts converged, due to its instability and number of exploded battles of molten magma it was commonly referred to as: The Crucible. A group of star clusters that saw nothing but death. Another name for that place was the Desolate Region, those that crossed to that place would only leave once attaining Monarch rank.
Compared to this place that was at the far stretches of the limits of the universe, which granted— also meant that the Desolate Space was also nearby— it also meant that it was the equivalent of a backwater region. Elasia had heard so much about the Legacy of Brilliance that she had just taken all their beatings lying down. They knew she wasn’t to be trusted, however, the disrespect she had to tolerate for all the years, all when she could’ve just done, this.
She looked at the Blood Drinker with disgust as he convulsed. The strongest Monarch in their Star Cluster, and probably among the strongest in the Region. She was no Champion, no great Hero of the universe, she was just someone who had long reached their goal and ended their journey. But that didn’t mean that her legend was to be disrespected. She was the last of her kind just like Lumina.
She deserved respect did she not? Her anger flared as she realized the implications of everything. Monarchs, figures of respect.
What happened if they were displeased?
What happened when they were disrespected?
What happened when they looked down on them?
The answer was simple.
Death.
The rifts had closed, there was no way out of this Super Star Cluster. Her frown curled into a maniacal smile. Maybe, it was time to achieve her dream for good, instead of an island, maybe it was time to take an entire Super Star Cluster. She let go of a chuckle, but then the Blood Drinker began to mutter under his breath. Her ears twitched clearly hearing, and that’s when she realized— She might’ve been underestimating him just a little bit.
“[Blood Reaping Desolation!]”
The entire world went red, and for the first time in her battle with the Blood Drinker, she felt pain. Her heart exploded as she sputtered a mouthful of blood. Elasia cursed as she felt one of her emergency skills kick in, her blood and mana rerouted. The entire world became nothing but a red space and everything was drained of color.
“I should’ve just killed his ass once more.”
* * * * *
The artificial heart was very complicated. It had multiple arteries and veins made out of wood, hollow spaces for blood to go through. I failed to understand how it could even beat, since it was akin to a carved figure rather than anything. I started with making the septum walls and the two ventricles, then weaved each thing slowly following the diagram. It was like a tangled mess of branches, one that took who knows how long. But eventually, slowly weaving the wood together, I produced the artificial heart— multiple ones.
It was a slow and tedious process, but as I grew more used to it they became smoother and more refined, until eventually I felt like my instincts told me I had made it just right. It looked like a thing of wood, smooth and without bark, it was a dark brown color with veins running through it. Admittedly it wasn’t very trustworthy but as I looked at Lumina’s peaceful expression I simply carried on.
I referenced the book multiple times and finally reached the step of placing the second material into it. The Blight. I produced it from within my ring, it felt almost mushy. I stared at the heart for a bit and referenced the instructions. To fill the left chamber, I supposed it meant the left ventricle. I stared at the protruding connections atop of the object and made sure it was facing me. Then slowly following the diagram, I introduced the Blight into the right arteries, I kept putting Blight Wood into it until it couldn’t go into it any longer. It took a while, and I felt like I had put in too much, but I simply filled it until the holes were plugged.
I felt a bit silly. I was just holding a jumble of wood that took me probably close to an hour to make. And for a brief moment, I felt the wood soften within my hand, the feeling continued until it felt just like flesh.
[Ỳ̷̮o̸̹͛ư̵̟ ̴̭̈́h̷̒ͅâ̴̖v̵̯́ë̵͎ ̴̪̽m̸͖̓a̵̫͝d̵̪͠ȅ̵̬ ̷̲͝a̷̺̿ṋ̶͒ ̴̮͊Á̸̢r̶̤̀t̴͈̾i̵̙̍f̸̥̏î̸̤c̴̠̈́į̴̾a̸͘ͅl̴̬̓ ̴͖̂H̶̫̋e̶͉̚a̵͓̒r̸͙͑t̶̡́ — Next step: R̷̦̃é̴͖v̸̤̀i̸̠͘v̵̢̓ë̴̢́ ̷͔͌t̶̘̿h̸̨͒e̶̫̽ ̵̡͠O̸͓͝l̶͙̚d̴̛͚ ̸̬̏T̶̖̓e̷͉͝r̴̢̔r̶̖͝o̸̦͗r̸̻̓]
[You have completed the third step of a quest — Lumina’s Will (Mythical); Use the research within the Great Encyclopedia to make an Artificial Heart — Next step: Revival. Revive Lumina the Rotten, the Old Terror, the Dark Calamity.]
My mind paused as I felt the fleshy object within my hand. I had made the Artificial Heart? Just like that? My heart throbbed in excitement as I looked towards Lumina’s peaceful resting spot. I stared for a moment before turning to the book. Referencing the steps.
Shove the heart inside my chest cavity and shock my entire body with mana. Your mana will destabilize and become mine, hold your hand there and share some of your vitality. Make sure to consume plenty of health potions before starting this process.
Successor, you might seriously die from this. But if you do achieve my revival, my gratitude shall be eternal.
That was sort of what it said. I popped all of the beads within my mouth as the warmth spread over my body. But that wasn’t enough, I opened my status and distributed all of my free points into Vigor.
Name: Blair | Level: 94
Race: (Elf)??? (D-Grade)
Grand Feat: The Realm Breaker
Feats: [Lone Survivor], [Bottomless Ambition], [Champion Of Champions], [Champion Of Illusion], [Pest Control], [DeathShot], [Five of a Kind], [Pacifist of the New World], [Evolutionary Herald], [Bane of the Elite Monsters], [Bringer of Civilization], [Untamed One], [First Leader]
Prophecy: Scarlet Shift (C-Grade)
Basic skills: Universal Understanding (NaN), Universal Inquiry (NaN)
Free attribute points: 0
VIG: 266 | END: 70 |
STR: 68 | AGI: 100 |
PER: 274 | WIS: 378 |
Skills: [Proficient Archery (Uncommon Passive)], [Explosive Shot (Rare)], [Power Draw (Uncommon)], [Penumbral Instinct (Rare Passive)], [Frictionless Slide (Rare Passive)], [Burrowing Shot (Rare)], [Flashbang (Rare)], [Mana Manipulation (Epic Passive)], [Three-Marked (Rare Passive)], [Frenzy (Rare)], [Enhancement Mimicry (Epic)]. [Dynamic Mana (Epic Passive)]
Prophecy Skills: [Seed Manipulation (Rare Passive)], [All Dark (Uncommon Passive)], [Friend of the Dark Plants (Rare Passive)], [Blooming Combustion (Epic)], [Plant Mutation (Epic)]
Attunements: Dark plants (III)
Prime Currency: 5,250
I took a deep breath as I approached Lumina. I might die. But at the same time, I was strong, I had come a long way. I could do this. With that in mind I pushed my hand into Lumina’s chest cavity, it almost felt dry and mushy, it was a disgusting feeling as I felt it wriggle around. And then, with all of my mana I urged it towards my hand— my entire arm lit up in a bright green light that inundated Lumina’s body.
There was no reaction, but I felt the heart move absorb my mana. It trembled as it took more and more, the Royal Azalea nectar doing its best to regenerate my being. I felt nearly all of my mana be absorbed as I threw up some blood and grew dizzy, but thankfully it stopped before it took everything. I took a deep breath, but then—
A shock ran through my being, I felt my hand be sucked, almost as if pinched. I felt my entire being be sucked off of energy.
Vitality. I had no choice as it began to drain me of my Vigor.
My body grew numb by the second and yet Lumina was unmoving. My heart began to beat faster and faster as I remembered what Elasia had said. To call her name—
“[Blood Reaping Desolation!]”
A booming voice resonated within my ears, and my entire view grew crimson. At that moment, my mind spaced out as I simply shouted with the rest of my strength.
“ELASIA!”
In an instant, a bright flash appeared next to me. It was Elasia but she was clutching onto her chest and her mouth wouldn’t stop bleeding. Her chest was heaving up and down as she stared at me with her golden eyes and deranged hair. Her appearance, her veil was gone, all I saw was Elasia, the Monarch, someone who had lived hundreds of years to attain power.
“Blair…” She weakly called. “I cannot spare mana unfortunately, is there something else you need help with?”
I felt my legs nearly give way as the drain got higher.
“Vitality, for Lumina’s heart…” I muttered.
Elasia nearly limped next to me and touched upon my hand. In an instant I felt myself regenerate, and Elasia showed no signs of changing either. Seconds passed as a voice echoed in the background.
“Interlopers! Revenge is here!”
Elasia held her gaze on Lumina, as I turned to her.
“Should I—
“No, focus.” Elasia hissed.
I closed my eyes and focused on my draining vitality, trying to make it go faster. It was an odd feeling, and it almost felt like mana, but it was akin to just my imagination rather than anything else. I imagined a river dam bursting, giving way to more water. I felt the vitality drain increase as Elasia finally flinched. Seconds of susurrating silence passed as the entire world was nothing but red. I could fear the danger rapidly rising and Elasia seemed to do so too.
I saw a flash of red, like a wave that flew ust overhead. And in an instant the top half of the building was sliced off. Elasia simply grunted and the rubble disappeared. I looked for a brief moment towards the danger as I saw the Blood Drinker limping towards us.
“INTERLOPERS…” He growled as the world grew red, but a notification denied its mental effects.
I grew nervous as I looked at Elasia, but she was simply looking at Lumina. I focused more on the feeling of vitality as I too turned.
I could feel the rapidly approaching footsteps of the Blood Drinker as he finally set foot before us.
“Given up—”
Her eyes opened, full of crimson radiance, the bloody aura around us vanished. The entire forest rattled, laughing as if their ruler had just returned. Even the ground— the now dead World Tree trembled as her eyes fully opened. Her gaze met mine.
“Thank you for reviving me, Blair.” Lumina said with a calm voice.
[Grand Feat Achieved — Herald of the Dark Calamity.]
Azrie
You can read the entirety of book 2 (up to chapter 180) on patreon!
I also opened a ko-fi, where you can read from chapter 137 onwards!
Blair now has a discord server, join here
